As for the intentions of these people, Pei Xuanjing was naturally crystal clear; these individuals were from enemy nations and various nefarious forces. They believed that Pei Xuanjing was without his own power and therefore controllable, wishing to use him as a puppet to divide the Dahong Dynasty.
Pei Xuanjing flatly refused them, but they were not willing to give up.
Faced with Pei Xuanjing's rejection, these people were insistent and would not back down due to just one refusal.
In the time that followed, they visited Taixuan Temple repeatedly, trying to persuade Pei Xuanjing to join the succession struggle, offering lavish gifts as a temptation.
"Gifts blind the eyes," as the saying goes. Such actions signified that these people's schemes were anything but trivial. After pondering, Pei Xuanjing decided to feign agreement, accepting their proposal for the time being.
However, what these people did not expect was that Pei Xuanjing only agreed on the surface. After accepting their favors, he immediately reported everything to the old Emperor and the many Princes.
...
Regarding Pei Xuanjing's actions, the old Emperor and various Princes had differing opinions, but no matter what, they all had to present him with rewards to set an example.
It could be said that, through this event, Pei Xuanjing had his cake and ate it too, gaining a significant amount of cultivation resources. These resources undoubtedly saved him much cultivation time, allowing him to speed up the cultivation progress of his body.
The struggle for the throne was a matter of life and death. Any interloper would surely face the united retaliation of the Princes. They were enraged by these factions' attempts to entice Pei Xuanjing into joining the struggle for the throne and immediately sent people to eradicate these factions' agents.
A ferocious battle erupted in the Royal Capital. What was thought to be just a group of opportunists turned out to have mysterious origins and terrifying strength.
Among the experts sent by several Princes were powerhouses from the Tenfold Tower, but they were unable to annihilate the enemy. Surprisingly, there were several Martial Artists within these mysterious people who had reached the Tenfold Tower Realm.
If not for the deployment of several powerhouses from the palace by the old Emperor in the end, the many Princes would not have been able to eliminate this group and would have suffered severe losses themselves.
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Regarding all this, Pei Xuanjing was quite astonished; he suddenly speculated that the mysterious individuals behind the scenes might have been supported by other Dynasties. Perhaps they aimed to prop up a puppet Emperor like himself and then use this as a means to carve up the Dahong Dynasty.
The hand-to-hand Great War in which Martial Artists of the Tenfold Tower Realm had fallen made many shudder with fear, sending chills down their spines and instilling an even greater dread of the succession struggle.
One must realize that over the many years of the Dahong Dynasty's history, the struggle for succession had occurred more than just once or twice. Or rather, every ascension of a new Emperor had been through countless killings and treading over bones to sit on the throne.
However, in so many succession struggles, Martial Artists of the Tenfold Tower level were generally regarded as stabilizing forces for all sides. Unless it was the final life-and-death moment, there had never been such early-stage deaths of high-level experts.
"It seems that the struggle for the throne this time is going to be even more vicious than in the past," someone thought to themselves.
However, this situation did not dissuade the forces already involved in the fight for the throne; on the contrary, it made them double down on their stakes because they all understood that the more intense the struggle, the greater the price of failure. To succeed, they could only press forward with everything they had, without any thoughts of retreat.
The ferocious competition for the imperial throne was fully underway, especially after the fall of a powerhouse from the Tentacle Building, which made the princes realize the gravity of their situation. With no options left for retreat, they poured all their resources into the struggle.
The first to be eliminated was the Sixth Prince. This prince, with an exceptional talent in martial arts and backed by kings and lords, was caught in a vice; his subordinates were gradually removed until he was left almost completely alone.
Facing this situation, he had no choice but to exit the stage, deprived of any qualification to contend for the throne. Next, he could only wait for the final decision of the victor of the imperial throne, even his life hung in the balance of others, beyond his control.
Following the departure of the Sixth Prince, the subsequent struggle among the Second Prince, Third Prince, and Fifth Prince, did not diminish; instead, it intensified. Especially during the process of dividing and capturing the areas left vacant by the Sixth Prince's exit, intense conflict erupted between the three camps.
Perhaps because of the old Emperor's suppression within the Royal Capital, the princes did not dare to be overly brash and bring their disputes into the open, but outside the capital, in the regions of the Dahong Dynasty, the struggle never ceased.
From minor district magistrates to major prefects and state shepherds, the three princes continuously placed their own people and nurtured their followers. Likewise, outside the Court, the rivers and lakes forces loyal to them were also engaged in fierce battles, plundering wealth for their princes to solidify their forces and gather more adherents with wealth.
Two years flashed by, and before one knew it, Pei Xuanjing, now twenty years old, should have left the Royal Capital for his fief according to normal circumstances, not to enter the capital lightly without the summons of the Emperor.
However, curiously, after Pei Xuanjing's coming of age ceremony, the Emperor bestowed a reward, but did not order Pei Xuanjing, the Seventh Prince, to leave. This undoubtedly deepened the original rumors: the Emperor seemed intent on cultivating this prince with exceptional Taoist skill, as a candidate for the imperial Formation Technique master in the future.
As for not being ordered to leave, Pei Xuanjing did not pay it much mind. In any case, he was also cultivating in the Royal Capital. Together with the annual benefits of a prince and the resources he had previously obtained, he had enough for his cultivation. Thus, he remained peacefully in Taixuan Temple, immersed in the mysteries and understanding of Tao.
But the tranquility was ultimately short-lived. The old Emperor's health declined day by day, with signs that he might pass away at any moment. The conflict between the three princes also reached its final critical juncture, and the outcome of becoming king or falling as a bandit was soon to be revealed.
Indeed, just at that time, rumors suddenly spread. It was said that the Fifth Prince had secretly trained private soldiers and colluded with a general in charge of border counties, plotting rebellion.
After this rumor surfaced, there was immediate shock. Before the Fifth Prince could even defend himself, a messenger arrived in the capital, reporting that bandits were raiding the border and the general in charge was preparing his army for battle, ready to exterminate the bandits.
If this had happened at any other time, it might have been seen as perfectly normal. But combined with the preceding gossip, it seemed to corroborate the fact that the Fifth Prince was plotting a rebellion.
Immediately, a courtier advised that no matter what, the Fifth Prince should be placed under house arrest and ordered to strip him of his command over the military forces of the Border County, and to dispatch someone else to replace him in that position.
The Emperor consented, but the envoy sent to relieve the Prince of his military command was assassinated en route before even reaching the Border County, and alarms of war were raised on the frontier as the enemy nation invaded.
At first, rumors spread that the Raised Death Warriors intended to join forces with a great general in rebellion. Before these rumors could be cleared, news arrived of the general assembling troops, casting deeper suspicion upon themselves.
Yet, if it were just suspicion, then when the news came back that the Emperor's envoy sent to strip the military command had been killed and that the Border County was up in smoke, the Fifth Prince was wholly nailed with the accusation of rebellion, regardless of his will.
Was he to accept his fate and surrender, bowing his head in submission, or was he to burn his boats and fight back with his back against the wall? The choice was within a moment's thought for the Fifth Prince.
One must admit that the courage to be involved in the succession struggle to this day means that the Fifth Prince is certainly not a waste. In such a situation, he knew his own explanations were meaningless, and bowing his head meant only a dead end; only by truly taking action could he see a glimmer of hope.
...
When others suspect you of being a threat, it's best to possess the ability to threaten, so you are not at the mercy of others.
The Fifth Prince chose to take a risk. Under the protection of powerful martial artists in his following, he fled the Royal Capital and successfully reached the Border County. He even managed to join forces with the great general there, raising the big banner of liberating the Emperor from deception and taking up arms to clean up the court. In an instant, he gathered a significant force, and the imposing momentum significantly altered the situation for the Dahong Dynasty.
The Second Prince and Third Prince, who had initially framed the Fifth Prince, were dumbfounded. They had only intended to use this to strike at their rival, to clip his wings, yet they never expected the Fifth Prince to be so audacious as to raise the standard of rebellion.
A rebellion led by a Prince, with such an imposing momentum, the aging Emperor, though old and frail, was still enraged.
As an Emperor who had ruled this dynasty for over a hundred years, although he had not expanded the territories beyond his ancestors', he had still established remarkable achievements by defeating strong enemies and suppressing numerous rebellions, being classed as a true overlord.
Now, in the twilight years of his life, to have his own son instigate a rebellion, was almost too much for the Emperor to bear. He immediately commanded an expedition to suppress the uprising and would have even led the troops personally if not for the opposition of all officials and his own physical limitations, given his past reputation as a wise and martial ruler.
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This suppression presented an opportunity for the other two Princes eligible for the throne, as seizing this chance would give them the pretext to infiltrate their forces into the military, a rare opportunity indeed.
The army set forth, but the two Princes, keeping each other in check, failed to secure the chance to lead the army; instead, this opportunity was seized by the inconspicuous Ninth Prince.
Indeed, the Fifth Prince's power was not insignificant, and his uprising did create a huge stir. However, everything was too rushed. After initially catching the army off guard and capturing several cities to hold several counties, his lack of preparation was blatantly exposed. He was not able to fully control even the cities he had seized, with continuous internal conflicts hindering his plans to continue the military advancement, forcing him to hastily direct his army to suppress the disturbances everywhere.
And in the time that elapsed, the imperial court's massive army arrived promptly, and even though the Fifth Prince fought to the death, against a gathering of elite Martial Artists and a formidable army, the rebel forces of the Fifth Prince were instantly crushed. He could only lead his loyal followers in a retreat.
This Fifth Prince, however, was extremely fortunate. Despite the grand uprising he led being suppressed, he still managed to escape with his life. With no place to hide in the Dahong Dynasty, he astonishingly chose to seek refuge in a hostile nation.
As for this situation, the aging Emperor was beside himself with rage, yet clearheaded enough to know that it was not the time to raise his armies, and could only send out skilled assassins to eliminate the Fifth Prince.
Regardless, the attempted rebellion meant that the Fifth Prince had completely lost any chance to ascend to the throne. Now, it seemed that the position of Emperor in the Dahong Dynasty could only fall to either the Second Prince or the Third Prince.
Now with only one opponent remaining, if either could defeat the other, it would mean complete victory and a smooth ascent to the imperial throne. At this time, the two Princes began to ruthlessly suppress each other, engaging in a tit-for-tat struggle solely for the ultimate triumph.
But what no one knew was that the Ninth Prince, who had initially commanded the army to quell the rebellion of the Fifth Prince, now quietly arrived at the Royal Capital's Taixuan Temple to meet with his brother Pei Xuanjing, the Seventh Prince.
This time the Ninth Prince served as the figurehead commander of the army sent to suppress the rebellion; in truth, everyone knew that the real leaders were the generals. However, it was undeniable that this opportunity to command the army catapulted the Ninth Prince from obscurity to fame.
"Today, I come with no other purpose but to ask my Imperial Brother to momentarily disrupt the Formation Technique within the Royal Capital at the crucial moment. In return, I shall be generously indebted to you in the future," said the Ninth Prince upon arriving at the Taixuan Temple, conveying his intent to Pei Xuanjing.
He knew that his Imperial Brother's expertise in Taoist Skill was extraordinary, and even if he had not achieved much success in the Martial Arts, he was capable of interfering with the capital's Formation Technique hub if he were willing, at the critical moment.
The Royal Capital's Formation Technique hub was the true defense core of the Dahong Royal Capital, more vital than the many army legions that guarded the city. Created at a time when Immortal Path had not yet declined, it had been passed down for tens of thousands of years, capable of withstanding siege; even top Martial Artists from the Twelve-Floor Tower could not breach it in a short span of time once activated.
While control of the Royal Capital's Formation Technique hub supposedly lay in the hands of Formation Technique masters loyal to the Emperor, the Ninth Prince had discovered through careful investigation that his Imperial Brother also had the capability to intervene with it.
"Who would have thought, the Ninth Prince has kept such a deep secret, even beyond my own notice," Pei Xuanjing showed a trace of surprise on his face.
As the Ninth Prince expressed his intentions, Pei Xuanjing instantly understood the other's plan.
Indeed, though he had always lived in seclusion within the Taixuan Temple, Pei Xuanjing did possess the ability to control and influence the Royal Capital's Formation Technique hub.
Not to mention that Pei Xuanjing was the reincarnation of a True Immortal's True Spirit, with his Cultivation reaching unfathomable depths after so many years, few in the Dahong Dynasty knew that the usually low-profile, reclusive Seventh Prince also held some control over parts of the Royal Capital's Formation Technique hub.